Conspiracy

The arena was filled with waves of panic and shocked murmurs.

A male teacher staggered back half a step, his pupils contracting sharply. His face had gone pale, his hands trembling faintly on instinct, while lingering, utmost terror remained in his eyes.

The bone-chilling despair and fear of death within the illusion just now had felt far too real, as though he had truly taken a walk through hell.

Other teachers murmured the names of old acquaintances under their breaths, their voices hoarse and filled with melancholy and regret.

"Xiaoyun... where are you..."

"Why did you insist on leaving back then..."

Nearly everyone wore an unusual flush on their faces—either terror that had yet to fade or inescapable regret and desolation.

Several teachers with weaker mental fortitude still had vacant eyes and dull expressions even after the illusion faded, unable to regain their senses for a long while.

"Hey, are you all right? Wake up..."

Their companions reached out and lightly patted their cheeks, calling to them and pulling them back to reality in the simplest way possible.

At that moment, everyone in the arena came to the same realization—Yue Ling's second Martial Soul domain was terrifying to the extreme.

Love, hate, passion, obsession, greed, and desire.

How could people possibly be without desires?

After a while, everyone had fully calmed themselves.

Yan Shaozhe slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, only stern authority remained in their depths.

Amplifying his voice with Soul Power, he spoke in a solemn tone that echoed throughout the entire arena, leaving no room for objection. "Everything that happened in the arena today is not to be discussed by anyone, nor may it be spread outside! Violators will face severe punishment from the academy, without exception!"

As his authoritative words fell, every teacher and student present felt their hearts tighten. They quickly nodded solemnly, and no one dared voice the slightest objection.

Yan Shaozhe swept his cold gaze across the arena. After quietly giving Du Weilun a few simple instructions regarding the aftermath, he did not linger.

With a flash of his body, he soared through the air in pursuit of the direction Xuan Zi had left.

After all, a major matter awaited them next.

At the center of the arena, Du Weilun lightly coughed twice, suppressing the lingering aftereffects of the illusion in his heart.

No one knew what this usually steady dean of studies had experienced in that illusion just now...

He composed himself, his expression turning solemn once more. Looking at Ma Xiaotao and Gongyang Mo, the only ones remaining in the arena, he announced loudly, "In this Freshman Elimination Tournament final, Yue Ling's team has claimed first place in the Freshman Elimination Tournament!"

The crowd erupted, especially Wu Ya, who smiled so broadly that his eyes nearly disappeared.

By then, Ma Xiaotao and Gongyang Mo had long since awakened, their hearts filled with fear and lingering dread.

There was not even any joy at victory in their hearts. Only upon hearing Du Weilun announce their win did they realize it belatedly.

Du Weilun looked at the two of them and slowly said, "Do not grow arrogant in victory or discouraged in defeat. That is something you must achieve if you wish to improve."

"You are both among the finest freshmen I have ever seen. I also hope you can maintain this mindset."

"All right, that is all." Du Weilun hurriedly left the Assessment Area.

The other teachers who had been watching also wisely dispersed one after another.

After Wu Ya came down to praise and comfort them a little, he too tactfully chose to leave.

As the commotion died down, the enormous final arena finally returned to silence.

Ma Xiaotao was expressionless, and no one knew what she was thinking. "Let's go back first. Get some proper rest... We'll talk about the rest once Yue Ling returns."

"Mm." Gongyang Mo had yet to recover from his low spirits.

They had gone through too much all at once. They needed time to process it as well.

After saying their goodbyes, they separated in the Assessment Area.

The Assessment Area, bustling just moments ago, was instantly empty. The result of the freshman assessment final soon spread throughout the entire academy.

However, things were even livelier elsewhere.

The Holy Spirit Cult.

Inside a dark, sealed stone chamber, Wan Hun Douluo suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood. His pupils shrank sharply, his face filled with disbelief as he staggered to his feet from the ground.

"Why... why is my Soul Power Level only seventy-one now?!"

He roared in disbelief, unconsciously clenching his fists, his eyes filled with confusion and madness.

"My cultivation... where has the power I possessed as a Titled Douluo gone?"

Wan Hun focused inward, carefully examining the Soul Power circulating within his body.

Once, twice... the result did not change in the slightest.

His Soul Power Level had truly stopped at level seventy-one, Soul Saint.

Unwilling to accept this fact, he willed it, and his Martial Soul abruptly appeared. Rings of Spirit Rings rose from beneath his feet.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black.

A total of seven Spirit Rings quietly revolved around him.

"Why... why?!"

Wan Hun Douluo completely flew into a rage. The violent and chaotic resentful spirit Soul Power within him spilled out uncontrollably, smashing into the ground with a deafening boom. The hard stone floor was blasted full of dense pits and cracks by the energy.

He looked utterly deranged, clawing viciously at his scalp with both hands. Then, as if he had suddenly remembered something, he tore his throat raw with a crazed howl.

"It was that brat! It must have been that brat named Yue Ling!"

"A hundred-thousand-year Spirit Ring... He was clearly under my surveillance the entire time. How could he possibly have obtained a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Ring?"

"That Spirit Ring was supposed to belong to me! Impossible!!"

The Wan Hun Banner in his hand suddenly erupted with a dazzling black light. The surging, violent power of resentful spirits directly blasted through the stone door of the chamber, its turbulent Soul Power fluctuations spreading in all directions and alerting the Douluo of Abomination, who had been resting next door.

The Douluo of Abomination slowly walked to the doorway. The instant he saw the seven Spirit Rings around the other man, his face first filled with astonishment, then with deep mockery as he burst into loud laughter.

"Wan Hun? Why are you down to the cultivation of a Soul Saint? Hahaha! What an enormous joke!"

"What are you laughing at?!" Wan Hun Douluo roared furiously, glaring at him with bloodshot eyes. "It's all your fault! I told you long ago to seize that body as soon as possible and devour it directly! But you refused. You insisted on seeing his decent talent, dragging things out as you slowly eroded his spirit and took over his body!"

"Are you satisfied now? Not only did the possession fail, but my cultivation became a wedding dress for that brat! Compensate me! Give me back my cultivation!!!"

As he watched Wan Hun Douluo before him fall completely into hysterical madness, a barely noticeable trace of relief flashed through the depths of the Douluo of Abomination's eyes.

Fortunately, fortunately that brat had not absorbed his cultivation.

The Douluo of Abomination's eyes shifted.

Hundred Flowers Village truly was a wonderful place. It was practically a paradise for flower-type Martial Souls.

According to the cult leader, there had been strange Soul Power fluctuations there.

When they went to investigate, they found nothing, yet they had gained a new discovery.

Who would have thought that this village had once produced not only a Titled Douluo, but also a top-tier Martial Soul family?

Hehe, what a pity. It had long since declined.

At his prompting, after this brat consumed the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum treasured in that old man's home, both his physical strength and talent had become one in ten thousand.

Hehe, and no one had noticed that Wan Hun had tampered with that flower.

The Douluo of Abomination secretly rejoiced.

If Wan Hun seized this person's body, then his terrifying talent and domain would belong to the Holy Spirit Cult. In a large-scale war, they would be more than enough to crush the Spirit Masters of the Shrek Inspection Team, and even Shrek Academy... Hehehe.

He had no intention of destroying Yue Ling as nourishment just yet.

Persisting in slowly taking possession and completely claiming this body and its Martial Soul abilities was the top priority.

Now that Wan Hun had already suffered a loss, he certainly would not willingly accept failure. He would definitely choose to attempt possession again.

Hehehe, he truly was a genius.

First, he would stabilize Wan Hun.

Whatever conditions he proposed, he would agree to them as much as possible, and he must not let any information leak out.

If it succeeded, his status within the Holy Spirit Cult would rise.

If it failed, it would have nothing to do with him.

It was killing two birds with one stone.

At this moment.

Under Wan Hun's gaze, the Douluo of Abomination wore a pained expression. "It's fine, Wan Hun. In a while, I'll accompany you to find a few villages and absorb more souls. Before long, your cultivation will return!"

"Yes, souls... souls!" Wan Hun glared viciously at the Douluo of Abomination. "When I reach a bottleneck, you must help me hunt Spirit Rings!"

"Fine! Don't worry!" The Douluo of Abomination patted his chest, looking utterly dependable.

Wan Hun Douluo stared viciously at his own hand. The clump of blood-red power there was precisely a wisp of remnant soul hidden deep within Yue Ling.

"Don't worry, I won't let you off easily..."

"Your body, your mind, your talent, even your soul—sooner or later, they will all be mine."

"Ha ha ha ha ha!"